In spite of the prospect of being homeless at the end of this season, Coventry are doing rather well on the pitch and took advantage of a sluggish first half from Rovers to win five games in a row for the first time in 20 years.
Alarm bells were ringing when Marko Marosi was forced to tip over Michael Doyle’s deflected shot and they grew louder when Jordy Hiwula slammed home a partially-cleared free-kick after 21 minutes. Rovers went close through centre-backs Joe Wright and Tom Anderson, but were up against it when Luke Thomas made it 2-0 with a fierce strike from 20 yards just before the interval.
The second half was a different story: James Coppinger dropped into the No. 10 role and substitutes Jermaine Anderson and Paul Taylor made a difference to the course of the game. Rovers dominated possession and only some determined defending by the home side kept them at bay.
Rovers pulled a goal back when Coppinger and Taylor set up Wright to score from close range following a corner. Ben Whiteman fired a shot just wide and in the final minute of stoppage time Danny Andrew found John Marquis whose goalbound shot was somehow blocked on the line by Junior Brown. On the second half display, Rovers were perhaps unlucky not to pick up a point, but their slow starts are becoming an issue. They will be glad to see the back of October, during which they have picked up only four points.
by John Coyle
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